Today’s effective productivity

As the world around us is continuously changing, there is a great need for perceptions to adapt. What was deemed as applicable in the past is not necessarily applicable today.

With the era of industrialization came the mentality of “the more, the merrier” hence working hours were increased to heighten profits and achieve what was then known as ‘Success’. And so, the era of mass production began. Goods were sold in bulks of quantity and the level of quality was moderate. However, the world grew and with that growth came a different perspective. In the 21st century, the saying “Quality is better than Quantity” has been reiterated countless times thus consumers prefer goods that are ‘limited edition’ as they are deemed to have a higher quality. 

The perception of effective productivity - the ability to create the right result and deliver what matters - has changed into being qualitatively oriented rather than quantitative. Yet can this change be seen in our educational system and workplace? 

There is a trend of perceived intelligence in our educational system that is directly related to the quantity of performance. Many boast of all-nighters spent studying before an exam, or even the amount of pages they wrote in an essay, and the perception here is that with the increase in quantity comes an increase in the percentage of success. A clearer case where our perception of effective productivity clashes with today’s reality is the belief that certification has the absolute strong hold in the amount of knowledge attained. However, we all know at least one certified individual with Masters or PhD certificate who cannot answer a simple question in their field. Quantity cannot stand alone in achieving effective productivity.

Equally, there are many hardworking employees who submit their tasks on time, have impeccable self-discipline and achieve effective productivity yet are not appreciated. Whereas the employee who lacks time management and self-discipline therefore always works overtime is perceived by many as the more effectively productive. Employers may discard the fact that quality is surely affected and this loss cannot be compensated through short-term quantitative work.

The clear gap between the reality of today’s effective productivity and our integrated perception of it must be recognized and acted upon. We must grow with the developments around us and although our growth is apparent in many areas, it is crucial that we bridge the gap in perceived and actual productivity. 

Finland utilizes this concept clearly in their educational system, and their effective productivity cannot be ignored. Only nine years of education is compulsory (from the 1st to the 9th grade) however this decrease in quantity is compensated by the quality of their education, not necessarily concentrating on the grading system but rather to ensure what is learnt is retained in the minds of the future generation. 

We all can count, yet how many of us utilize those numbers to solve our day to day problems?